Skip Bayless needed only one line to connect two of the week's biggest sporting performances, and Jalen Brunson ended up at the center of it.
Lionel Messi 's hat-trick against Algeria has taken over the World Cup conversation, while Brunson is still being celebrated for leading the New York Knicks to their first NBA title in over 50 years.
The comparison works because both have recently dominated the biggest stage in their sport without relying on obvious physical power. Bayless did not write a long explanation, but the timing of his post made the message easy to read.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Following Messi's three-goal performance in Argentina 's first World Cup match, Bayless posted a simple line on X .
"Jalen Brunson has a little Messi in him," Bayless tweeted.
The remark came just as Messi had once again shown his blend of control, timing and clinical finishing in Argentina's 3-0 win.
The performance also moved him level with Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals, matching the men's tournament scoring record.
Bayless was not comparing their playing styles directly. Instead, he appeared to be highlighting how both players control games in their own way, with Messi doing it through touch and decision-making and Brunson doing it as the Knicks' late-game creator.
Brunson's NBA Finals performance is the obvious basketball backdrop to the comparison.
The Knicks won their first championship since 1973 after beating the San Antonio Spurs in five games, and Brunson sealed the title with 45 points in Game 5. He was named Finals MVP after becoming the clear engine of New York's attack throughout the series.
That is where the Messi link makes sense. Brunson is not being compared to Messi because they play the same way, but because both have recently carried teams through pressure with craft, control, and late-game command.
Messi's Algeria performance turned a World Cup opener into another record night. Brunson's Finals run turned a long Knicks wait into a championship parade.
Bayless has praised Brunson's size-defying dominance before, and this was another version of the same idea.
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